A History of Roman Literature. By W. S. Teuffel, Professor
at Tubingen. Translated by Dr. Wilhelm Wagner. 2 vols. (Bell and Son ; Deighton and Bell.)—We cannot honestly say that this work is attractive in style or arrangement, or that it displays any notable originality or critical power. But it certainly forms a store-house of information on the subject in which the student can hardly fail to find what he wants. Wherever we have looked, we find the treatment remarkably complete, as far as the collection of all attainable facts is concerned. The first volume deals with the Republican period, though the first part of it gives a general view of Roman literature extending down to late Imperial times. The Fasti, the Inscriptions, and other remains the value of which is linguistic rather than literary, are here described. The second part deals with Roman Literature, from Andronicus down to the time of Saila. The great comedians tall within this period, and it is characteristic of Dr. Teuffel's method that he contrives to make the pages which he devotes to them altogether as tedious as his most abstruse researches. It may bs said, in fact, that the less known the author of whom he treats the more interesting the treatment. What he says about Ennius is far more readable than what he says about Plautus. The third chapter treats of the "Golden Age of Roman Literature," and includes the authors who were born in the days of the Republic, but flourished under Imperial patronage. The period beginning with the accession of Tiberius and ending with the death of Trajan supplies the subject-matter of the first section of a fourth chapter, and each century of the Imperial epoch down to the seventh, though of the last very little is to be said, is treated of in succession. This work is ex- ceedingly valuable as a book of reference (though here also its utility is diminished by the scantiness of the index and the total absence of any table of contents), but it cannot be ranked high as a critical or a philosophical authority.
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